handling and it supports our nonprofit operations. >> c-span "washington journal" every day we take your calls live on the air we discuss policy issues that impact you. coming up friday morning, nebraska republican congressman don bacon talks about the stale mate over raising the debt limit and continue the conversation and talk about the conversation with texas congressman al green, fried morning on c-span. join the discussion. >> first president to attend the dinner was calvin coolidge. i have been just elected to the

united states senate. >> the plaque-tie event is saturday at 8:00 p.m. watch it live including red carpet arrivals of journalists, politicians. "the daily show" and president biden is expected to spe. live saturday at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span or online at c-span. org. joining us on "washington journal" is gene lee with the woodrow wilson center for korean history and public policy. she is a fellow there a former journalist who worked in south korea for this associated press. how significant is it that the white house invited the leader of south korea for this official visit? guest: hugely significant. a milestone for south korea u.s.

relations. a reminder it is only the second state visit during the biden presidency. might be an interesting choice. why south korea? also, the first time in a dozen years that a south korean president has been invited or been able to visit washington d.c. on a state visit. i hope we talk about how different things are for south korea in 2023 versus 12 years ago. host: why now? guest: very significant timing. 70th anniversary of the alliance between south korea and the united states. that was a relationship force on the battlefield during the korean war. broke out in 1950. the united states led the u.s. forces in helping to dissent -- defend not from north korea and china.

millions of koreans of course, they have found a cease-fire with china and north korea and this year july, 27 marked the 70th anniversary. it is a key anniversary in the alliance between united states and south korea. i will also mention that this comes not long after north korea launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile. one that is designed to strike us here in washington dc and also, designed for north koreans to launch quickly and without much notice. this visit is coming on the heels of an unprecedented campaign by north korea to test his arsenal, expand its arsenal. for all those reasons as well as the gao -- political issues when it comes to china, ukraine,

semiconductors, global supply chain, all these issues come at an opportune time for the united states and south korea. to both honor their relationship and also show how it is involved. host: does this visit do anything to harm north korea? does it have impact on u.s. efforts to try to get north korea to not keep testing these weapons or potentially attack south korea or the united states? guest: i do think there will be criticism from progressive quarters in south korea because we are under the previous president with the much more engagement, focus on let's try to find a way to talk to north korea and the same with the previous president in united states held several summers with the north korean leader. however, i think the focus with

this administration in the white house and in south korea is undeterred. not to let north korea to get to a point where the program is beyond constraint and may have reached that point already. the point is to try to stop the development of the program. not to give north korea concessions and to stop the trial flow -- try a flow of money into the program. i do think in the short term will probably get a provocative response from north korea following this agreement between the two leaders. we might get -- we had a harsh statement from the chinese foreign ministry overnight as well. i do think we will see a rise in tensions. in whether it harms north korea, i think it will make a different -- difficult for negotiations that take place but the goal is to try to stop that program,

stop the threat or at least slow it. host: what is the agreement announce yesterday? guest: the -- it is a joint statement that addresses the nuclear aspect of this diet -- this threat and an agreement for the united states to promise to extend its nuclear umbrella over the korean -- over south korea and to come to south korea defense in the case of a nuclear attack from north korea. also to involve south korea as a partner in those discussions. we are going to see regular consultations between south korea and the united states on planning for possible nuclear war or other type of military act. the other thing it does is south korea has promised not to build its own nuclear weapons as a part of the agreement and i think that a significant because

there has been growing because in south korea for their own nuclear weapons. south koreans are feeling very nervous about threats from north korea. have been wondering whether it united states would come to his defense. there are been calls for their own weapons. that will be a violation for the nuclear treaty. but this -- the agreement assures south koreans that the united states has its back and they are promising not to violate the agreement they signed. host: at our table this morning jean lee who spent time in south korea reporting for the associated press. she is also has a podcast about the money that goes into north korea. it is called the lazarus heist on bbc platform. she is here to take your questions or comments about north korea and south korea and our policy towards those two's countries. republicans, 202-748-8001.

democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. you can text us at 202-748-8003. let's talk about our economic ties with south korea. what are they like right now? what investments are we making as you respective countries? guest: a part of what this visit does is show how this relationship has evolved. i want to remind you that south korea, 70 years ago, was obliterated. one of the poorest countries in the world. 70 years later it is the 10th largest economy in the world. we take it for granted because we see south korea everywhere. we are familiar with samsung. we

drive hyundai cars. but for me, as a korean american going up to watch that evolution , i do know for my parents as well when i see pictures, they are survivors of the ward. when i see pictures of their childhood in south korea, it blows my mind. the united states is south korea's largest -- second largest trading partner and i believe south korea is united states six largest trading partner. we are seeing more of an emphasis on not just with their the ship today, not just on the protection the u.s. has provided over the years and support, which i think we will see in congress when the president a addresses joint congress, but also an acknowledgment of the evolution of the relationship and the importance as far as a trading partner now and into the

future. in that time south korea has become a leader in -- we know about the cars, but electronics, semiconductors, which if you're paying attention to geopolitics it is going to be a key piece of the trade wars going forward. clean energy. climate change. anything related to science and technology, south korea has excelled and i think we are starting to see united states saying we help you grow, we help you flourish, we also need your help now. there -- president yoon came with a huge delegation of south korean business leaders. they're going to come home with bigger deals as well. investment goes both ways.